The Orchid's Blessing
by Runt the Brave
Summary: "Dad had said he would buy me an orchid when I was twelve." On her twelfth birthday, Katie Gardener had both the worst and the best day of her life.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and the characters of Katie Gardener and Demeter belong to Rick Riordan. And I am not Rick Riordan. **

**A/N: This story is for everyone with a shattered dream, a broken heart. I pray that one day, you'll find your family.**

The Orchid's Blessing

Chapter One

Do any of you have those names that make _everyone_ pick on you? Dad never seemed to find anything wrong with my last name, nor did he understand why I absolutely hated it. Gardener. I mean, jeez. Ellen O'Ryan once spilled her entire bottle of green paint over my hand. Green-Thumb Gardener. Part of me always protested when I complained about that nickname; it could have been about million times worst.

So, anyway, my second grade teacher suggested that I take up gardening. She gave me my first potted seedling too. It was one of those hanging flowers, a lot of yellow cosmoses. Even today, cosmoses are my favorite flower. I don't know, gardening gave me a release from all the pressures of life, the universe and everything.

I wasn't really normal, but I wasn't that strange.

My dad was an only parent, and he worked for the NYPD as a rather high ranking officer. He usually refused to talk about his job, joking that it traumatized him enough during work hours without discussing it at home. I think that I've learned what he meant, about his job and everything. I mean, I've fought a war, that must be at least as bad as being a policeman in New York City. Maybe. Dad struggled with his job and keeping me in normal school as well. The teachers wanted to slow me down, put me in special education classes, but he always refused. He insisted I could do better.

Ritalin hardly helped. Each day, I hated swallowing the nasty little pill that the school nurses forced me to take. It seemed wrong. I mean, I was born with ADHD, why should I medicate what was given to me? Dad always says we're given gifts and talents and we should use them. I always said that ADHD could be my special talent. School nurses don't really care though. They simply didn't care. I always hated school, even when I had a good teacher. Which only happened once.

My second grade teacher, Ms. Yager, was amazing. She was always patient and kind, and I told you she gave me my first cosmoses. Ms. Yager also told me about orchids, which I longed for years to be old enough to grow. Dad had told me he'd buy me an orchid when I was twelve. Anyway, Ms. Yager always told me to believe in myself, no matter what happened. She even supported me through my battle with Ritalin, although she never told anyone but me. I loved her.

In fact, I used to fantasize that she'd meet my dad and they'd fall madly in love and marry and I'd have an awesome mother and an amazing dad and maybe little brothers and sisters one day.

I never told Dad or Ms. Yager that fantasy, especially because it never came true. When I moved to third grade, I almost felt like crying. It was a rough transition. That was Ellen O'Ryan's first year in the school district, and I've had to put up with her ever since. Ellen is your basic elementary school bully. She made me feel like a worthless piece of trash, unconfident, and just, bad. I was the least popular girl in the class and my new teacher, Mrs. Rowe, couldn't care less.

There was this one time, I had brought a cutting of one of my newest plants, this time, purple cosmoses, to give to Ms. Yager when Ellen came up to me and grabbed my precious little flowers. She claimed the best of the lot, flouncing it about in her hair. The rest of them, she shoved in my face, getting dirt on my glasses and down my shirt. I cried. And then Mrs. Rowe got me in trouble for messing up her precious Ellen's flowers.

That was a rough year. Especially because Dad spent so much time working. He had gotten a promotion, but that meant he had to deal with even more of the stuff he "joked" traumatized him. Some times, I'd come home and he'd just be sitting on the couch, his head in his hands, shaking. Those were some of the worst nights, but he always took me out to get pizza if that happened. Pizza and ice cream and sometimes a movie or a show. I remember one night was really bad, and then he took me to see the Lion King on Broadway. It was really great!

My life got steadily better throughout all of fourth grade and into fifth. In fifth grade, there was this kid named Lucien, and he was a little weird. He scared all the girls and most of the boys hated him. Everyone picked on him. It's really mean of me and all, but I was grateful that Ellen O'Ryan had someplace else to channel her emotions. I mostly ignored Lucien, he was nothing to me.

I had a whole garden in my room during fifth grade. My room in our NYC apartment wasn't very big, but it faced the south and Dad got me some fluorescent lights that worked really well to keep the plants warm. I learned to sleep with the bright lights on. Plants die if you don't make some sacrifices. The prize of my collection were my bonzai, since I didn't have an orchid yet. I really loved my bonzai. One was cut to resemble a heart with an arrow running through it. I showed it off at an art contest and got second prize. My wood carvings got fifth place.

I thought my life was good enough, but Dad always seemed to think I should have more friends. He kept hinting I should visit people's houses and invite them home to mine, but I really didn't want too. I was fine on my own. One night in December, I came home and found a parakeet on our kitchen table. There was a note attached to it.

_Dearest Katie,_

_I'm sorry. Work has called me in for longer than I expected, they're sending me oversees for an investigation. The 'keet's food is in the lower drawer on the left side of the kitchen. Feel free to name her._

_I love you,_

_Dad._

Throughout the end of my eleventh year of life, Dad would be gone for weeks on end, with only Helen Richards, who lived an apartment down from us to watch me. Dad always left some plant as a present, or another parakeet. I had four parakeets by the end of April; Andromeda, Penelope, Atlanta and Bobbette. Please don't ask me why I named her Bobbette. It just came to me and I really liked it. The others, well, to be honest, I dreamed in Greek legends and I liked those names.

Although, I've never understood why Penelope is pronounced pen-EL-op-ie, instead of pen-E-lope.

Dad and I never went out for pizza and ice cream and show anymore, I think that's what hurt the most. When he was home, he was exhausted and tired and he always tried to act like everything was fine, but I could tell that he was going through a lot. And then Helen kept stopping by. I was used to her popping in to check on me when he wasn't around, but it was unnerving when they began to spend more and more time together.

I retreated to my room more and more, turning myself into the perfect student. I got all As. I cultivated my garden more and more and more. I trained Andromeda, Penelope, Atlanta and Bobbette separately. Don't laugh at me, but Atlanta and Andromeda had great singing voices. Within a month, I had them singing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight " from The Lion King. Atlanta sung Simba's part, and Andromeda sung Nala's part. Also, I hummed Amazing Grace once, and Andromeda practically gobbled down the tune, so I taught her the words. Penelope, I trained to recite some of my favorite poems, and I taught Bobbette the Gettysburg's Address and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream." Helen – she insisted I call her that – practically forced me to enter the four of them into a talent show.

The judges said that I would have won with just Penelope reciting "Charge of the Light Brigade." So, naturally, I got first prize. They also suggested I enter other types of contests with my fabulous birds. To celebrate, Dad brought me another parakeet. It annoyed me how Dad and Helen seemed to think that my birds were all I cared about anymore, but only a little. I really did love the birds. My twelfth birthday was on July 2nd and I really, really wanted my orchid. Anyway, I named my fifth parakeet Rhea.

My orchid. I had told Dad that I wanted a Cascading Cymbidium Orchid and he said he'd find one for me. The Cascading Cymbidium is a gorgeous orchid. It grows in these hanging pendents. I mean, these cords can reach almost 3 feet in length and they're this beautiful color and everything. And they didn't require some of the really annoying things that some orchids need. I really, really, really wanted one.

Rhea took a liking to cosmoses her first day with me. Whenever I let them out of their various cages, she insisted in perching among my precious flowers. Try and picture my room, just for a moment. I had one mattress on the floor and the rest of the room was pretty much cover with green plants and various flowers. I still had a place for the orchid though, I never forgot the orchid. The five bird cages perched side by side on a self opposite the window. Sometimes, I let Rhea and Penelope perch downstairs, but never Bobbette, Atlanta or Andromeda. What language they knew was too valuable. When I let all five birds out of their cages, it was chaos.

But I loved it; my plants and my birds were my best friends.

School let out in late and I spent almost all my time in my room. Once, I took Rhea for a walk to see if I could get her imitating the sounds of the city. She spooked and almost flew away because I wasn't holding her leash properly. The creepy kid, Lucien, from school, caught her for me. He handed me the leash, cautioning me that Rhea could really hurt herself if she tried to fly again. Like I didn't know that. I thanked him, rather tersely, because I was rather creeped out that he was there at all.

Rhea and I returned to the apartment and she hopped gratefully back to the cosmoses. She started to whistle "Amazing Grace." Please don't ask me why that is my birds' favorite song, it just is. Andromeda and Atlanta insisted on practicing their latest duet, "A Whole New World," while I worked on my various bonzai. I was happy. I had my friends and my flowers, school was out and I had all As, and I was getting an orchid the day I turned twelve. Life couldn't be better unless Dad was home a bit more.

o()-()-()-()o

A week after school let out, I woke to Penelope singing Happy Birthday. I blinked at her for awhile, trying to figure out who had taught her that song. Helen must have; she was the only one I ever let close to the five birds. I jumped out of bed, gave Penelope a big kiss of thanks and ran downstairs.

Helen was waiting for me with breakfast ready. She had this really sad smile on her face.

I plopped down in the table across from her, "Hi Helen!"

"Happy Birthday Katie," Helen said. She pushed a plate of pancakes towards me and glanced at the door. Her smile looked even sadder.

"Where's Dad?" A part of me already knew the answer, but I refused to acknowledge it. Dad would have refused any job taking him away. He had promised to be here on my birthday. To give me an orchid. He had _promised_. Helen handed me a wrinkled note. I unfolded the note, trying to keep the bile from rising in my throat. My good mood had completely evaporated.

_My Darling Katie,_

_Happy Birthday! I hope you have a fabulous day. I'm sorry I had to leave, but this task is unavoidable. Your birthday present is on the balcony. Have a good day. I'm thinking of you._

_Love,_

_Dad._

I bit my lip and pushed the pancakes away. I really didn't feel like food. Hopefully my orchid would help me feel better. That is... if he... I shook that thought from my head and stood, heading for the little apartment balcony. I heard Helen calling me back, but I ignored her. I slid open the door to the balcony and stopped. The cage had a blue ribbon on it, with a little blue parakeet in it, twittering away in the morning sunlight. I probably stood frozen for a count of ten.

I...

In a fit of blind rage, I grabbed the cage by the handle and flung it into the house. The parakeet screamed in protest, flapping her wings as the cage flew through the air and crashed against a wooden chair. "_Katie!_" Helen cried, shocked. I didn't stop. Anger boiled in my stomach and throat. I threw the cage again, sending it crashing against a wall. The parakeet squawked, almost weakly. "_Katie!"_ Helen's arms enveloped me. I fought her, trying to get at the cage, trying to destroy it. The little parakeet was still squawking. Tears of rage and sadness spilled from my eyes, staining my cheeks and Helen's arm. I sobbed into her, letting her hug me for all she was worth.

Dad had _promised._ He had promised he would get me an orchid, way back, four years ago, he had promised. He had promised two weeks ago. And now he gets me another parakeet. I sobbed.

He hadn't gotten me my orchid.


	2. Chapter 2

The Orchid's Blessing

Chapter Two

I sprawled on my bed, trying to contain the flood of tears. I hadn't felt this awful since the original yellow cosmoses from Ms. Yager had died last year. From the various sounds, I could tell Helen was standing just outside the door with her head against my closed door, probably trying to figure out what she could do to help me. I really did like Helen, you know, it's just... she took Dad time away from me and I will admit to begrudging her, just a little.

Andromeda was perched just above my shoulder. I had closed my window and let all five birds out of their cages. The little blue one I left downstairs, not trusting myself to be ready to try to comfort and mend relationships with her. Helen had made sure it wasn't injured. Rhea was probably settled among the rainbow cosmoses on the east wall. Atlanta perched herself on the bare spot I had been saving for the stupid old orchid. Penelope and Bobbette were whistling – well, Bobbette was whistling and Penelope was singing – Amazing Grace.

Penelope's voice was scratchy, not quite human, but very close to human for a bird. "_Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me._" I clenched my fists under my pillow. "_I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see."_ I pushed the lyrics away, trying to focus on something else. Andromeda started singing as well, her voice almost as perfect as a bird could be. "_Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear, and Grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear, the–_"

With a sudden squawk, the birds stopped singing.

I pulled my head out from below my pillow and stared at the woman who had just invaded my room. But the door was still closed. And the window was still closed. Before I could even process what was happening, I screamed. The birds fluttered and screeched like mad, Helen yanked the door open and practically ran into my room, her eyes wide, and the woman just blinked at me, like a very stupid parakeet. Or an owl. Owls would be very stupid in comparison to a parakeet. At least, I thought so. Parakeets were the best bird alive. Focus, my mind yelled at me.

Helen froze by the foot of my bed, staring at the intruder with scared eyes. The woman was fairly tall, had blond hair tied back with a rather extravagant, crazy system of braids and loops and ties and knots. She was wearing a white _toga_, of all things. A wreath of holly was woven through her hair and her belt was made up of twigs and green leaves and... she wasn't wearing shoes. Her eyes were this kind of honey color that looked really ugly against her tanned brown skin. But then her eyes turned blue. It was all very disconcerting.

"I must apologize for my appearance," said the woman, very primly, "I just came from a meeting of the West County Committee for a Greener Planet. Bah. You would think you mortals had finally picked up on the fact that you're destroying the planet. Hello, Katie, do you eat your cereal like a good little girl?"

Helen stepped in front of me; which, I don't know, it felt good, she was shaking so much. I think we were both terrified. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" The woman scoffed, "I think I'm the one asking the questions. Who are you? Lovely plants by the way, pity you don't have an orchid, those really are–" Helen reached down and laid her hand on my knee. I stopped quivering, just a little. "–the crowning flower. Nice collection of cosmoses." The woman reached down to touch the little rainbow colored flowers. Rhea bit her. The woman pulled back, shaking her hand and glaring at the bird. "Anyway," the woman turned to me and Helen, "I'm Katie's mother, Demeter, goddess of the harvest."

I'm sure even the birds could feel the tension in the room. Andromeda hopped down onto my shoulder. Penelope and Bobbette were staring at the stranger with calculating, almost evil looks. Helen had tensed to the point where I thought you could pluck her like a stringed instrument and she would snap. But... I looked at the woman. My mother? Mother! But, no. I shook my head. Dad was an only parent. He never talked about my mom. He said I just showed up with a note, and... I closed my eyes, trying to sort through all the thoughts that were jumbled inside my head.

"You," said Helen, with calculated slowness, "are a loon."

Demeter straightened, for a second, I thought she was going to blow Helen to smithereens and back again, she looked so angry. "You are very close to being wrapped inside a giant cocoon of never dying barley that will scratch at your skin and hold you in stasis until I decide to be merciful and let you out. I assure you, I am not a loon."

"Shouldn't you be in a good mood?" I blurted out, before I could stop myself. "I mean, Persephone's back from the Underworld."

Helen looked at me like I was out of my mind.

Demeter nodded. "Good, at least you know your history. Katie, your sister for reasons I cannot fathom, decided to go back for a short visit today. Unthinkable. Anyway, it's time for you to go to Camp Half-Blood, so, here I am to escort you."

"Now wait just a minute-" Helen started. My birds all screamed, very loudly.

Again, I thought the stranger-woman was going to fry Helen. How could she really be Demeter? I mean, the Greek gods weren't real! But then, she had popped into my room out of nowhere. But. No. What about all the monsters? They couldn't exist as well. If the Greek gods existed, then wouldn't Kronos and all the bad guys? And my dreams of torture and deliberation and all those mythical heroes? No. No. No. My brain would have blown apart if my skull hadn't conveniently kept it squashed together. There was too much to think about, too much to try and process.

And as for Demeter being my mother; I didn't have a mother. I'd never had a mother. My thoughts flickered briefly to Ms. Yager, but she immediately disappeared. That had been four years ago. Helen popped through my thoughts. What was a mother? Biologically or philosophically? At that thought, I was _sure_ my head would explode.

"What authority do you have over the girl?" Demeter challenged. "I am her mother, you are not-"

"But no," I said. At first, I wasn't sure they heard me. Then Helen slowly turned to look at me, a questioning, confused look on her face. "You've never been here," I told the stranger-woman, trying to calm my racing nerves. Andromeda perched on my shoulder, pressing her comforting little body against my ear. "You haven't watched me grow up. That's always been Helen." I glanced briefly at Helen, just long enough to see her face as a whirlpool of mixed emotions. I swallowed. How was she going to react to this?

Demeter scowled, "Come to Camp, girl, you'll learn to protect yourself there."

"From _what_?" I demanded.

"Why," she sounded shocked. "from monsters and such." I licked my lips. Monsters. It sounded sufficiently dangerous, and... Helen looked terrified at the thought of monsters. I swallowed again. One giant question bounced through my head. _Why_?

"But why?" I asked.

She blinked. "Because they're dangerous. I just came to escort you because sometimes the immersion into Greek culture can be a bit shocking and I thought meeting your mother might ease the shock a little."

I leapt off the bed, anger rolling in my stomach. "I'm not going to leave my family just because something is dangerous!" I was not going to become my dad. "And if you wanted to _ease the shock_ you might have not randomly _popped _into my room wearing a _toga_ and blaming the human race for global warming! I'm sure it's all the gods' fault!" I'm not sure where that came from, it just sort of sounding like something that would get on her nerves. "Go away!" The parakeets were fluttering, very agitated. Very, very agitated. My poor little birds; I never shouted in front of them.

Demeter popped away, rather angrily, and in the place were Atlanta perched, a little blossom appeared. Atlanta hopped down to my outstretched hand as the sprout grew and grew and grew and turned into a Cascading Cymbidium Orchid. I started trembling. Beside me, Helen was sobbing. I'm not totally sure why. The flower I had wanted with all my heart for years was right in front of me, in my room, all mine. But I didn't want it anymore.

I didn't want anything from _her_. Like an robot, I walked to my desk and pulled out a pair of pruning sheers. Without thinking, I cut the orchid at the roots and walked to the window. Helen had stopped crying, and was staring at me, her mouth slightly open in shock. I opened the window and let the orchid cutting fall from my hand. Methodically, I shut and locked the window. I turned to face Helen.

"Oh Katie," she whispered. She had sunken to my bed. "Oh Katie, I'm so sorry."

I ran to her, throwing my myself into her hug. It felt amazing.

For the first time ever, I felt like I had a mother, and it wasn't Demeter.

o()-()-()-()o

It wasn't like things were instantly better. The day I turned twelve will forever be one of the best days of my life, but also one of the worst days of my life. Helen and I took care of the little blue parakeet and I named it Ariadne. Helen asked if I even considered naming her Demeter. I said no.

Dad returned two days later, at about eleven o'clock. I was cocooned in my room, flipping through a book of songs and poetry to decide what to teach Ariadne. Andromeda and Atlanta were on my pillow, whistling "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," their first ever song. I heard the apartment door open and close, and then Helen approaching him. I think they thought I was asleep, because Helen started yelling at him two minutes later.

And, jeez, could she yell. I mean, she yelled about his work, she yelled about his attention about me, she yelled about Demeter – I bet Dad just loved that – she yelled about practically everything. After just a little while, I returned my birds to their cages, being incredibly careful with Ariadne. I could seriously damage my relationship with the littlest parakeet if I did anything to harm her. I turned the light off and climbed in bed. Later, Dad came in and kissed my forehead, saying he was sorry. Just that, "I'm sorry."

The summer was still rather little rocky. The three of us fought at lot, still getting used to the extended hours Dad was hope. It sounds backwards, but there were a lot of problems we had to work out as a family. Dad and Helen finally got married towards the end of my vacation. I taught the birds a song to sing for them. Atlanta, Andromeda, Bobbette, Ariadne, and Rhea couldn't have been better on pinch, together, chorally, etc. Penelope started singing Happy Birthday. I would swear, Happy Birthday is Penelope's favorite song.

Demeter showed up again, practically insisting that I go to her summer camp, but Dad was there and he said no. Very firmly. I did end up at camp, the summer after my sixth grade year. Lucien, the creepy kid that I mentioned twice before, well, turns out he's this satyr from the camp and he saved me from this bird-like monsters called a harpy or whatever. I was just running and screaming for all I was worth and then Lucien steps up and runs an arrow through the harpy's chest and convinces me that I really should go to camp. Turns out, there are harpies at camp, but for some reason, those ones are domesticated. Really, don't ask me to explain it.

Camp was, different, I'll tell you that much. They placed me in the Demeter cabin right away, and a lot of kids seemed to hate me for that reason. My already low opinion of the Greek gods lowered about five notches just that first day. Lucien stayed until I was settled with my half-siblings before returning to our school district in New York City. A year later, when I was fourteen, I find out that there's going to be a war. A lot of problems happened when I fought the war. Dad and Helen tried to talk me out of it, but I decided I owed it to my half-siblings, cousins, and the other demigods I was distantly related too.

I still get nightmares from the battles I fought and the people I saw die.

After the war, I stayed with Dad and Helen; building up my parakeet flock and tending my plants. We never moved from that apartment. Anyway, my parakeets became famous. My parakeets, mind you, not me. I hated the fame. A couple years after the war, Andromeda passed away. Atlanta died about a week after Andromeda; I think she missed her long time duet partner and best friend. For awhile, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to keep training parakeets, but I pushed through. I've got thirty-five now, and only Bobbette doesn't have a name from Greek mythology, and still, none of them are named Demeter. The newest addition to the flock is Andromeda Jr. Little 'Dromeda Jr. hasn't quite joined the choral singing yet, but she's almost ready with "Amazing Grace."

I never did get an orchid. Dad offered to buy me one, shortly after he married Helen, but I didn't really want it. Maybe I'm over thinking things here, but I think the orchid just represented my family, and I got a family. I got Dad back, I got Helen, I got my half-siblings, and I got my parakeets. I was given an amazing world, a world worth fighting for, and I didn't need an orchid to make it better.

I had my family.


End file.
